Kellen Moore

Q. Traditionally, the Ravens have a tough, physical defense. Is that something you see this year still on tape? (Jason Dumas)

KELLEN MOORE: No question. I think those guys are doing a nice job. I think, like any team, they’re always making adjustments throughout the season. I think they’ve done some nice stuff, playing really good ball.

They challenge you during your preparation, just all the things that they do. So it’ll be a great challenge.

Q. What are the unique things that the Ravens defense does to stop the run, which is kind of the way it’s been under Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh for many years? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: I think, first and foremost, they’re really sound. I think you can tell that they’re all coordinated, they’re all working together. They understand their assignments, gap sound, all that sort of stuff.

Backers do an excellent job of fitting the run game. [Defensive] ends do a good job setting the edges. It’s all tied together really, really well.

Q. Strength versus strength with your running game against their run defense, at least on paper. When you have a team that’s struggling a little bit defending the pass, but you run it so well, how does that affect your thought process going into the week? (John McMullen)

KELLEN MOORE: We prepare every week with the understanding that we navigate games depending on how the flow of it goes. We’ve been able to run the football successfully the last few weeks, and we’ve leaned on that.

Do you love that formula? Absolutely. But you know games take different terms, and you have to navigate those and adjust to those accordingly throughout the season. We’ll continue to be ready for that.

Q. What are you seeing in the discrepancy between their run defense and their pass defense, which I think is second worst in the NFL? Do you see a reasoning there? (Martin Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: I think when you watch it, there are big plays in both elements of it. They have played some premier pass offenses the past few weeks. When you play Cincinnati twice the last couple weeks and you play some of those teams – and some teams fell behind a little bit earlier in the season, so there were a lot of attempts being thrown from a pass game perspective.

I think this is a really good defense that does a variety of things, and they stress you.

Q. When you’re facing a defense that is ranked so highly against the run, is there sometimes an element that’s not translatable because of the uniqueness that QB Jalen Hurts brings to your running game? (EJ Smith)

KELLEN MOORE: We feel like we have some advantages associated with the run game. There is a lot of confidence with it.

By no means are we stubborn to that point. We understand it’ll be a challenge, just like every week. There are challenges for every opponent that we face. These guys have done a really good job against the run game.

We would like to run the football, but we understand sometimes the pass game becomes more viable in certain situations, so we’re ready to make those adjustments as games go.

Q. A sentiment in the locker room after the game was that those explosive runs in the second half were a by-product of sticking to the run and kind of working things out as you go. As a playcaller, how do you determine whether to stick to the run or get away from it? (Zach Berman)

KELLEN MOORE: There are a lot of conversations that go into that throughout the game. I think when you see the small marginal progress, you anticipate that eventually the big opportunities will present themselves.

We felt like we were close in the first half in a number of those runs. We felt like they were positive runs that were leading to some 6-, 7-, 8-yard gains.

We felt like, ‘These are close,’ and if they miss one tackle or get one missed assignment, we’ve got an explosive opportunity.

So credit to our guys hanging in there.

Q. You’ve started to use RB Saquon Barkley more in the passing game in the last few weeks. What do you like about him in that aspect of the game? (Reuben Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: Any time [RB] Saquon [Barkley] gets the ball, touches are obviously awesome. I think credit to [QB] Jalen [Hurts]. He’s done an excellent job finding Saquon in some of these.

There were a few screens, but also just finding him in check down situations. Two weeks ago against Washington, I thought Jalen did an excellent job. He found [Saquon] on a check down, turned it into an explosive play.

I think the more we keep working through those progressions, I think Jalen has done a really nice job of that.

Q. Is that the most five-man front you’ve seen this year in the game against the Rams? If so, how much confidence does it give you that you were able to put up that many yards against that many five-man fronts? (Bob Brookover)

KELLEN MOORE: Rams did a good job. Just like any team, they all have their own flavor. They have their five-down front structure that we anticipated, and they did some different things within it. I thought our guys did a really good job of hanging in there.

Like I said, some of those run plays, we felt like they were close with those particular looks. And we felt like if we could hang in there, we’d have some more opportunities as the game progressed.

Credit to our guys for adjusting, seeing how they were moving. There was a lot of line movement associated with it, and our guys did a good job.

Q. We’ve heard you guys talk about getting some unscouted looks from these teams. Do you ever try to anticipate those? How do you go about that? (Dave Zangaro)

KELLEN MOORE: A lot of the process is, every week is going to have a different flavor. Every week teams prepare, just like we prepare. They’re going to give you something that’s different than [what] you’ve seen on film. We do our best to create rules that always apply to have an answer in-game.

And within the game, there is always the ability to make adjustments. Whether that’s players to players, coaches to players, those adjustments within the game.

So our guys do a really good job of it, making those quick adjustments and applying what we need to apply based on the defense.

Q. There’s a big difference in RB Saquon Barkley’s yards from the first half to the second half. I think it’s like 400 in the first half and 900+ in the second. Is there a reason? Why do you think there is such a big disparity there? (Ed Kracz)

KELLEN MOORE: That’s a great question. I don’t know if I studied it analytically to evaluate why. But I do think there is an element of – we pride ourselves on being a really physical run game, and those things wear on you as the game goes on when you get the opportunities we get.

And the way the games have played out, you can keep grinding it out as the second half progresses, and those big plays eventually pop.

Q. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio disputed the notion that the NFL is slanted to the pass now versus 20, 30 years ago, just if you look at the numbers. Yet, teams are definitely running it more this year. What have you seen, and what has been behind that evolution or change? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: That’s a great question. Probably something that when you step back, maybe someone has a better perspective of it than me from a league perspective. But I think structurally, you can navigate how defenses are constantly flowing. We can all see the trends over the last few years, how defenses kind of adjust and then offenses adjust, and you go back and forth. And that’s the battle that this thing always is.

I think a lot of top offenses right now are running the football and doing a really good job of it. You’ve seen that. Doesn’t diminish the importance of the pass game in any way. You need that in all those critical situations, and there will be games that we’re going to have to lean on the pass. That’s just how the league is.

Q. You mentioned the flow of the game, personality of the game. Generally, it’s been run heavy recently. With WR Jahan Dotson, didn’t get a ton of opportunities. How do you evaluate it in that type of situation? (John McMullen)

KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, a lot of positives from [WR] Jahan [Dotson]’s work. Obviously the production, he hasn’t had as many opportunities as probably we or he anticipated. But that’s sometimes how these games go.

Hopefully as we keep progressing, those opportunities will present themselves. When we have had those chances, he’s capitalized and done a really nice job.

Q. Along those lines, with WR DeVonta Smith out, WR A.J. Brown got quite a bit more attention. What did you see from his game and what he was able to do? (Martin Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: [WR] A.J. [Brown] did an excellent job winning one-on-ones when he had those opportunities and being physical. And the run after the catch was really, really impressive.

Q. What makes him so good at creating yards after catch? (Dave Zangaro)

KELLEN MOORE: Probably just mentality. I think he’s really physical with the football. He does an excellent job. I think he does a good job with ball security still within that.

And then other guys getting into the perimeter. Blocking is a big emphasis of ours of guys getting downfield, getting that extra block. Because hey, he breaks that tackle, and now you get to the safety, and now we’re gaining even more. So guys are all involved in it.

Q. Whenever you’re creating run plays, how much can you tell whether it could turn into an explosive run? Or how much of that is just RB Saquon Barkley or sticking to the run? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: I mean, run designs, obviously we’re trying to block as many guys [as possible]. There are only ten [guys]. Someone is going to be unblocked at some point. So we are trying to design plays to give ourselves the most success.

Some runs are dirty runs that we anticipate being grinded-out runs, and some are a little bit more of the explosive opportunities.

I think our guys do an excellent job. The beauty and the big importance of the run game is that it takes everyone. It takes Jalen being a run threat and his ability in the play-action game. It takes the receivers on the perimeter blocking, [WR Britain] Covey, A.J., explosive blocks that created those big, long touchdowns.

When we go through the run game, it’s really about everyone. Then obviously we know, once Saquon gets out in space, what he can do. It takes everyone.

Q. The Ravens don’t stay in base a lot. In fact, I think they use as much nickel and dime as any defense. Yet, they’re still great at stopping the run. How is that? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: I think, again, it’s a very sound defense. They’re very gap sound. Their base numbers have maybe trickled up a little bit as of late, but seasons take ebbs and flows.

I think this defense just does a really good job working together. You don’t see people misaligned, screwed up in the run game. They’re very sound. The backers do an excellent job fitting the gap so you don’t get to the second level.

It’s good. And then the safeties come in and fill.

Q. (Regarding how much yards after the catch is a function of the play design) (Zach Berman)

KELLEN MOORE: Good question. We’re trying to create one-on-one opportunities. When you create one-on-one opportunities and we have the guys that we feel like can make plays beyond that, that’s where the beauty is.

Like I was saying, we really emphasize the component that it takes everyone. Those guys that turn around – ‘flip and find’ is a term we use a lot – and go find a DB, find a safety. Because when we break a tackle, now we’ve got big plays.

Q. By ‘flip and find,’ do you mean they catch the ball with their back to the defense and then turn? Is that what you’re referring to? (Zach Berman)

KELLEN MOORE: All the other receivers. You run a route and you’re looking for the ball to be thrown your way. And when it doesn’t get thrown your way, you flip and find the DB so you can go block.

Q. When you have a player as productive as RB Saquon Barkley, are you even more anticipatory of the team sending you a look you haven’t seen before? How do you prepare for that? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: Just like any season, we’re going to get a lot of different looks. We’re going to get a lot of structures. I think the last few weeks are good examples. Teams are going to have their flavor. That’s what the NFL is. I don’t think it’s anything new or unique, per se, to us.

They’re going to do what they feel like can stop the run in some of those situations and make it challenging for us. That’s the back-and-forth battle of the NFL.

Q. The run game coordinator aspect of Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland’s role, what stands out that? What makes him so effective in that role? (Tim McManus)

KELLEN MOORE: [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland] Stout does an excellent job of the preparation aspect. He is one of the best in the league as far as preparing us and putting us in a situation. Come Mondays, Tuesdays when we are teaming up on this thing, it’s a really fun, collaborative effort.

Stout does an excellent job of tying it all together. And [Tight Ends Coach] Jason [Michaels] is a part of it, [Run Game Specialist/Assistant Offensive Line Coach] T.J. [Paganetti] is a part of it, [Running Backs Coach] Jemal [Singleton], really everyone on our staff. That’s the cool part of it. Everyone works on it [separately], and then we work on it together collectively to make sure it’s all tied together, and it complements the pass game, and everyone is coordinated.